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Have you ever considered how addicting the hunger for time is? We cannot influence how much time we’re given, yet it’s one of our most precious gifts. The wealthiest person in the world cannot buy more of time, in terms of amount, than you or I can. How we use our time is up to the individual.

Choice

Choice is another gift. Each day we make hundreds, maybe thousands of choices. There’s a choice to make in every situation, whether it’s, ‘should I put cream in my coffee?’ or ‘should I take this job?’ Anyone who tells you they have no choice has bought into a pack of lies designed to keep them from moving forward in life.

Creatives

I haven’t been bored since I was a teenager. Creatives have a remarkable talent for entertaining themselves, making lemonade out of lemons, and finding things to keep their minds engaged. But a creative mind can operate like pouring a glass of water into a vase of pebbles filling all the spaces between between the stones with ideas and projects—or new stories. That’s where the hunger for time raises it’s creepy head.

Suddenly there are multiple projects and details for projects that require slabs of time. And every project has potential. It can cause progress to spin to a halt like a truck stuck in a bog. Since I was given a large dose of perseverance in my character, my first response is to stomp the gas pedal and fling huge gobs of mud everywhere. It gets a little messy.

Making Plans

I’m not a New Year’s resolution maker, but I do look at the year ahead and think about what I want to accomplish. At the onset of 2018 I decided by the end of the year I will have made certain decisions. I outlined numerous choices in my writing career, such as scheduling times for blog posts on two blogs, committing to goals for manuscripts, increasing/improving my web presence. Additionally I made decisions about horses and my equestrian activities.

Observations

Halfway through the year, I’m evaluating my progress and have made a few observations.

Every time I make one decision, the need for a new decision takes it’s place. It’s pouring the water over the pebbles again.

It’s okay to make decisions that are wrong or don’t pan out. God loves me even when I screw up.

There are things in my life that I don’t have to do even though the world around me says I should. (Okay this might be a throwback to my ‘child of the ’60s’ mentality. Go flower power!!)

It’s okay to re-evaluate and make changes no matter how old you are.

My Best Secret

The one constant that powers everything else and makes all my decisions easier is the time I spend in prayer each morning. I try to preserve that time over everything else because it orders my day, helps my direction, and fills me full of enthusiasm for living. During my personal time with God, He reminds me who I am and why I’m here. If I’m discouraged, He builds me up. If I’m confused, He gives me direction.

This began many years ago through the promptings of other believers. At first, the time I spent was sketchy and small, but God rewarded my efforts with more dedication until my early mornings with Him became the most precious part of my day.

Does the Hunger Leave?

Do I still hunger for time? Yes, only because I love what I do and want to do more. Other than the tragedies of life, such as of having to say goodbye to my animal friends, or inconveniences, such as a broken tractor, or dealing with the world’s most frustrating internet, or some new rule, web design, or computer program, I enjoy everything I do.

The small amount of time I give to God in the morning has huge returns. I have the assurance that what I do is okay with Him. I have direction for what He wants me to do. And I know if the time comes to change direction, He is faithful to show me the way.

And the best part? Not only do I have a relationship with my Creator, the morning time spans the day, and when I need to talk with Him, He’s closer than a friend. Much better than my cell phone!

It’s Your Turn

So how is your year going? Do you have a hunger for time? Have you made decisions? Do you love what you do? Has anything special happened? Will you share?

I was just thinking about time… How I sometimes put an urgency on myself to get certain things done when what I really need to do is take a step back and relax. Nothing good comes of stressing myself out. I usually get more done if I feel at ease, but of course there’s a balance. I need to be motivated—not apathetic. As for the praying, I wish I felt like I got direction. I think I’m looking more for a mood boost, which doesn’t usually come from my thoughts to God. So I use devotions, Bible reading, etc… though it can be really hit or miss.

Lara, I agree about time. I wonder why I feel the need to work continuously. But then I realize my work is what I enjoy and I’d rather do that than a lot of other things. Sometimes I take a break and go shopping (not really relaxing) or I’ll take an after noon and read for pleasure. A change is important. There is a nature reserve not too far that I like to go to as well. Those breaks are important.

I should have labeled my time with God differently. I’m not praying the whole time. I’m very sensitive to the things that get into my head just before I wake up and sometimes all I can do is put on my headphones and turn on praise music to blast bad thoughts and images away. Sometimes I’m even grumpy about it but I know God will help me even if I just sit inHis presence. Other times I look at things God has given me in the past, or read through prophecies. Or I might read part of the Bible or even read whatever pages I open to. The hardest is to sit quietly and be still before God. I mean how can I hear His still small voice if my mouth is always going? I also have scriptures I repeat on a regular basis. So what I label as prayer time is like what you do. The point of it for me is to give God the time every morning. What happens with it isn’t always up to me. It’s also why I’ve quit reading a scheduled Bible plan. For me it’s like meeting up with my best friend. And there’s usually coffee involved, which is really the only planned part other than planning to spend the time! I really need God’s new mercy every morning and His strength. God has made us unique and I believe our time with Him is also unique. He didn’t make me like anyone else- perhaps that’s a good thing!!